Jump Starter 2021 Test: Which Brand Wins?
In our 2021 test we compared 10 jump starter options head to head. Costway came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Costway
Price shown in test: $140
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The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“The air compressor might be a little bit loud on the Costway. However, it totally dominated the competition in all other categories.”
Best in 2 of 8 measurements, including Derived Peak (W) and Battery Capacity Test.
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
Specs
- 1Costway GoPlus1500 peak amps
power inverter; two USB ports, two 12V sockets, one 120V outlet; charge via car 12V accessory or 120V power source; instructions printed on the unit; made in China
- 2Stanley
sealed lead acid battery; jump starter rated 1,200 peak amps / 600 instant (cranking) amps; power inverter up to 500 W; 120V outlet, three USB ports, no 12V socket; charge via extension cord; LED light with 270 degrees of range; made in Vietnam
- 3Potek
sealed lead acid battery; 1,500 peak amps; 150 PSI air compressor; 300 W power inverter; charge adapter stored in a side compartment, charges via 120V outlet or vehicle 12V accessory; ports: one USB, one 12V socket, two 120V outlets; manual/analog air pressure gauge; made in China
- 4Schumacher1,200 amp
jump starter; 200 W power inverter; 150 PSI air compressor; built-in LED light; one USB port, two 12V sockets, two 120V outlets; charge via extension cord and 120V outlet; assembled in Mexico
- 5DeWalt1,400
peak amp jump starter; 120 PSI air compressor; the only brand tested that does not have a built-in power inverter; two USB ports; charge via extension cord or 12V accessory socket; includes an alternator test function; made in Vietnam
- 6Stanley Fatmax FatMax
transcript states "1400-W jump starter" (likely means 1,400 peak amps like the plain Stanley's amp rating, but is literally stated in watts; kept as transcribed); 120 PSI air compressor; 500 W power supply; one 12V port, one USB port, two 120V outlets; built-in charge adapter; made in Vietnam
- 7CAT1,000 amp
jump starter; 120 PSI air compressor; 200 W power inverter; built-in charge port; four USB ports plus one 120V outlet; air pressure set via up/down arrows; made in Vietnam
- 8DieHard
two USB, two 12V, two 120V ports; 1,150 peak amps; 400 W AC power inverter; built-in charge port with a button that shows battery percentage and activates the inverter/compressor; made in China
- 9Michelin1,000
peak amp jump starter; 200 W power inverter; includes a built-in radio; two 120V outlets plus one USB and one 12V port; charge via 120V or 12V adapter; made in Vietnam
- 10ZunDian1,400
peak amp jump starter; 400 W AC power; 260 PSI air compressor; one USB port, two 120V ports, two 12V sockets; analog air-pressure gauge and battery indicator; charges via 12V or 120V source; made in China (transcript consistently mangles this brand as "Zoom Dion" and later "Zoondy and"; resolved to ZunDian per the description's product list)
Weight
- 1Costway GoPlus20 lb
the heaviest of all 10 units
- 2Stanley17 lb
- 3Potek17 lb
- 4Schumacher17 lb
- 5DeWalt18 lb
- 6Stanley Fatmax FatMax19 lb
- 7CAT18 lb
- 8DieHard16 lb
tied lightest with the Michelin
- 9Michelin16 lb
tied lightest with the DieHard
- 10ZunDian18 lb
Noise
- 1Costway GoPlus86 dB
the loudest of all 10 units
- 2Stanley85 dB
- 3Potek81 dB
- 4Schumacher85 dB
about the same as the Stanley
- 5DeWalt80 dB
the quietest yet at the point it was tested
- 6Stanley Fatmax FatMax79.5 dB
the quietest of all 10 units tested
- 7CAT81 dB
- 8DieHard80 dB
- 9Michelin82 dB
- 10ZunDian83 dB
Tire Inflation Test
- 1Costway GoPlus19 minutes
to reach 35 PSI, 4 minutes longer than the Potek but one of only 6 of 10 units to actually reach 35 PSI; pressure gauge described as pretty accurate
- 2Stanley
powered down at 10 minutes before reaching the 35 PSI target, one of only 4 of 10 units that failed to reach it; unit's own gauge read 20.4 PSI, close to the tire gauge's 21 PSI
- 3Potek15 minutes
to reach 35 PSI, one of only 6 of 10 units to actually reach it; the small analog gauge with closely spaced numbers made it hard to read precisely and appeared to be off by about 2 PSI
- 4Schumacher
gauge appeared off by about 7 PSI (indicated 35 PSI too early at 12 minutes); it actually took a total of 15 and 1/2 minutes to reach the real 35 PSI, one of only 6 of 10 units to reach it; the largest stated gauge inaccuracy of any brand
- 5DeWalt
reached about 29 PSI when the compressor shut off after 10 minutes 13 seconds, one of only 4 of 10 units that failed to reach the 35 PSI target; electronic gauge described as pretty close/accurate
- 6Stanley Fatmax FatMax
shut off at 10 minutes to prevent overheating, reaching 26.5 PSI, one of only 4 of 10 units that failed to reach the 35 PSI target; gauge described as pretty accurate
- 7CAT
shut off at 10 minutes, reaching about 27.3 PSI, one of only 4 of 10 units that failed to reach the 35 PSI target; gauge described as pretty accurate
- 8DieHard18 minutes
to reach 35 PSI, one of only 6 of 10 units to reach it; gauge appeared off by about 3 PSI
- 9Michelin18 minutes
to reach 35 PSI without shutting down, one of only 6 of 10 units to reach it; gauge appeared off by about 3 PSI
- 10ZunDian13 minutes
to reach 35 PSI (needed a small top-up after first appearing close at 12 minutes 30 seconds), the fastest of all 10 units and one of only 6 of 10 to reach the target
Battery After Inflation
- 1Costway GoPlus12.68 V
still near a full charge
- 2Stanley12.82 V
after 10 minutes of use
- 3Potek12.8 V
plenty of charge left
- 4Schumacher
battery indicator still showed 96%; voltmeter close to the ohmmeter reference at 12.7 V
- 5DeWalt12.65 V
plenty of charge left; voltmeter described as pretty accurate
- 6Stanley Fatmax FatMax
voltmeter close to 12.65 V, described as pretty accurate
- 7CAT
voltmeter pretty accurate at 12.6 V
- 8DieHard12.74 V
after 19 minutes of compressor use, described as very good
- 9Michelin12.63 V
plenty of charge left
- 10ZunDian13.06 V
nearly full
Hottest Case Temp Inflation
- 1Costway GoPlus
the transcript literally attributes "nearly 190 F" to "the Potek" in the sentence directly following the Costway's own battery-voltage line, but the Potek's temperature (107 F) was already given in its own separate paragraph earlier; resolved as a mislabeled sentence referring to the Costway, whose inflation test this paragraph is otherwise entirely about
- 2Stanley115 F
- 3Potekabout107 F
- 4Schumacheraround160 F
- 5DeWalt130 F
- 6Stanley Fatmax FatMax
only 95 F
- 7CAT112 F
- 8DieHardaround111 F
- 9Michelinaround120 F
- 10ZunDian
only 95 F
Cranking Amps Test
- 1Costway GoPlus
rated 1,500 peak amps / 700 cranking amps; reached 445 amps at 6.6 V, by far the best of all 10 units, and survived the test without any visible damage or smoke
- 2Stanley
rated 1,200 peak amps / 600 cranking amps; reached 388 amps at 4.4 V before suddenly powering down and beginning to smoke; the unit no longer functioned even after being allowed to cool
- 3Potek
rated 1,500 peak amps / 750 cranking amps; reached 404 amps at 4.8 V, better than the Stanley, but the load was too much and the unit began to smoke as well
- 4Schumacher
rated 1,200 peak amps; reached only 361 amps at 4.7 V, unable to keep up with the Potek or Costway
- 5DeWalt
rated 1,400 peak amps / 700 cranking amps; reached 395 amps at 4.2 V, nearly the same output as the Schumacher
- 6Stanley Fatmax FatMax
rated 1,400 peak amps / 700 cranking amps; reached 391 amps at 4.5 V before giving up; let off a puff of smoke (like the first Stanley unit) but the unit still functioned afterward
- 7CAT
rated only 1,000 peak amps / 500 cranking amps, the lowest rating of all units, but still moved into second place behind the Costway at 405 amps at 5.8 V; no smoke or unusual sounds
- 8DieHard
rated 1,150 peak amps; started overcharged at 13.9 V, quite a bit higher than other brands; reached 421 amps at 6 V before giving up, second place behind the Costway
- 9Michelin
rated only 1,000 peak amps / 300 cranking amps, the lowest cranking-amp rating of any unit; struggled badly, reaching only 317 amps at 4.4 V, last place
- 10ZunDian
rated 1,400 peak amps; reached 362 amps at 4.4 V, better than the Michelin but well behind the Costway, Cat, or DieHard
Derived Peak (W)
- 1Costway GoPlus2,937 W
(445 A x 6.6 V), explicitly stated in the video's own recap as the best of all units tested
- 2Stanley
not stated in the transcript and omitted from the video's own peak-watts recap list (Costway/DieHard/Cat/Potek/Stanley Fatmax only); calculating it the same way as the other brands (388 A x 4.4 V) gives approximately 1,707 W, but this is a derived figure, not a transcript-stated one
- 3Potek1,944 W
(stated directly in the video's recap; 404 A x 4.8 V computes to about 1,939 W, a close match within normal rounding)
- 4Schumacher1,697 W
(361 A x 4.7 V = 1,696.7 W, matches exactly); the video separately states this is "1,400 watts lower than the Costway," though 2,937 minus 1,697 is actually about 1,240, a loosely rounded comparison rather than a precise one
- 5DeWalt1,659 W
(395 A x 4.2 V = 1,659 W, matches exactly), stated directly in the transcript during the vehicle-test recap
- 6Stanley Fatmax FatMax1,760 W
(391 A x 4.5 V = 1,759.5 W, matches), stated directly in both the cranking-amps recap and the vehicle-test recap
- 7CAT2,349 W3rd
(405 A x 5.8 V = 2,349 W, matches exactly), stated directly in the transcript as third place overall
- 8DieHard2,526 W
stated directly in the transcript (421 A x 6 V = 2,526 W, matches exactly); the video notes the unit's unusually high 13.8-13.9 V starting charge as a possible factor
- 9Michelin
not explicitly stated in the transcript (only described as "finished in last place on the bench test"); 317 A x 4.4 V computes to about 1,395 W, a derived figure consistent with it being the lowest of all brands, not a transcript-stated one
- 10ZunDianabout1,600 W
stated directly in the transcript (362 A x 4.4 V computes to about 1,593 W, a close match to the stated "1,600 watts")
All measurements (3 more)+
Vehicle Jump Start Test
- 1Costway GoPlus
with the test vehicle's battery at only 2 V, the Costway spun the engine over fast enough to get it running for nearly 18 seconds; the only one of the 10 units to successfully start the engine in this drained-battery test
- 2Stanley
"the Stanley jump starter no longer functions", consistent with it having already been destroyed in the cranking-amps test
- 3Potek
was not able to get the drained-battery engine spinning over fast enough to start it, and was smoking during the attempt; failed
- 4Schumacher
battery at 100% going in, but voltage dropped quickly to around 7 V, far too low to get the engine started; failed
- 5DeWalt
at 13 V going in, but voltage quickly dropped to around 8 V, far too low to spin the engine fast enough to start it; failed
- 6Stanley Fatmax FatMax
at 13.1 V going in, but voltage dropped to just over 8 V, not nearly enough to spin the engine; failed
- 7CAT
bench tested at 2,349 W but did not produce enough current to get the engine spinning fast enough; failed
- 8DieHard
started above 13 V and quickly dropped to around 7 V; almost made enough current to get the engine spinning, but failed
- 9Michelin
described only qualitatively as having "really struggled on this test as well"; failed, consistent with its last-place bench-test result
- 10ZunDian
made only about 1,600 W on the bench test, not nearly enough to start the drained-battery engine; failed
Battery Capacity Test
- 1Costway GoPlus14 minutes 33 seconds
powering a 500 W bulb through an external inverter before the cutoff voltage (10.5 V) was reached, nearly three times as long as the Potek and the best of all units tested
- 2Stanley
not mentioned at all in this section, consistent with the unit already being non-functional; a genuine exclusion rather than a caption gap
- 3Potek5 minutes 12 seconds
powering the 500 W bulb before the cutoff voltage was reached
- 4Schumacher5 minutes 20 seconds
barely ahead of the Potek; described as performing below average on the jump-starter bench test overall
- 5DeWalt9 minutes 19 seconds3rd
via an external power inverter connected to its jump-cable terminals, only 5 minutes less runtime than the Costway; third place overall in this test
- 6Stanley Fatmax FatMax8 minutes 56 seconds
described as performing nearly the same as the DeWalt on both this test and the cranking-amps bench test
- 7CAT8 minutes 11 seconds4th
described as having performed fairly well on the cranking-amps bench test
- 8DieHard5 minutes 39 seconds
barely outlasting the Potek and the Schumacher
- 9Michelin3 minutes 1 second
the worst of all units tested
- 10ZunDian10 minutes 45 seconds2nd
second place behind the Costway, nearly 4 minutes shorter than the Costway's runtime
Power Inverter Peak Watts
- 1Costway GoPlus
not included in the video's power-inverter wattage test section at all (that test covered 9 of the other brands); no reason given, possibly a genuine omission rather than a caption gap since the video otherwise gives thorough per-brand inverter coverage
- 2Stanley
rated for 500 W, started at about 122 V unloaded, ran into trouble around 450 W and peaked at 477 W briefly; did not quite reach its own 500 W rating but was the best-performing inverter of all 10 units tested, explicitly named the top performer in the video's own recap
- 3Potek
rated for 300 W, started at 118 V unloaded, exceeded its rating and peaked at 337 W briefly before powering itself off from overload
- 4Schumacher
rated for 200 W, started at 126 V unloaded; the unit's own display showed 195 W while the external kilowatt meter showed 211 W, exceeding its rating
- 6Stanley Fatmax FatMax
rated for 500 W, started at 121.4 V unloaded, briefly reached 435 W before shutting down when attempting to go higher
- 7CAT
rated for 200 W, started at 122.8 V unloaded, exceeded its rating and reached 211 W
- 8DieHard
rated for 400 W, started at 121.1 V unloaded, came close to its rating and reached 397 W
- 9Michelin
rated for 200 W, started at 115.8 V unloaded, briefly touched 200 W for a fraction of a second before powering down
- 10ZunDian
rated for 400 W, started at 126.6 V unloaded, exceeded its rating and reached 438 W, second-best inverter performance of all units behind the Stanley
- 5DeWaltnot tested
How it was tested
- tire inflation speed to a 35 PSI target on a pickup truck tire, including gauge accuracy versus a separate tire pressure gauge and hottest case temperature reached
- noise level of the air compressor measured with a sound meter at 1 m (36 in)
- weight of each unit
- power inverter maximum wattage using incrementally loaded bulbs/heat lamps up to a 500 W halogen light, tracked with a kilowatt meter (DeWalt excluded, no built-in inverter)
- cranking amps / peak current using a carbon pile tester and clamp meter, with peak watts derived as amps times volts
- real-world jump start of a Ford Ranger V6 with the vehicle battery drained to about 2 V (ignition disabled to prevent an actual start)
- power station battery capacity powering a 500 W bulb through an external inverter connected to the jump-starter cable, until a 10.5 V cutoff
“The air compressor might be a little bit loud on the Costway. However, it totally dominated the competition in all other categories.”
Data notes and caveats
10 units tested (brand called Costway in the description is also referred to as GoPlus; ZunDian is consistently mangled in the transcript as Zoom Dion/Zoondy and, resolved per the description's product list). No single explicit runner-up is named across the whole video since second place changes by test (Cat and DieHard trade second in the cranking-amps test, ZunDian is second in the battery-capacity test); runnerUp left null rather than picked arbitrarily. The plain Stanley unit was destroyed (smoked, stopped functioning) during the cranking-amps test and is absent from every test after that, a genuine equipment failure rather than a caption gap. A sentence describing a case temperature of nearly 190 F is misattributed to "the Potek" in the transcript directly after Costway's own inflation-test data (Potek's real temperature, 107 F, was already given earlier); resolved as referring to the Costway. Meta chapters label test/metric categories (e.g. "Cranking Amps & Volts", "Jump Starter Peak Output") rather than individual products, and one chapter is mislabeled "COSTWAY" while actually spanning most of the brand introductions, so chapterMap is false.
